Sizing composition for fibers, in particular mineral fibers, comprising a non-reducing sugar and an inorganic acid ammonium salt, and resulting products

ABSTRACT

A formaldehyde-free sizing composition for products based on fibers, in particular mineral fibers, such as fibers of glass or of rock, includes at least one non-reducing sugar, and at least one inorganic acid ammonium salt, preferably chosen from ammonium sulfates, phosphates, nitrates and carbonates. Another subject matter of the present invention is the products thus obtained, in particular thermal and/or acoustic insulators based on mineral wool and veils of nonwoven mineral fibers, and their process of manufacture.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/378,587, filed on Dec. 15, 2011, which is the U.S. National Stage ofPCT/FR2011/052802, filed Nov. 29, 2011, which in turn claims priority toFrench Patent Application No. 1059898, filed Nov. 30, 2010, the entirecontents of all applications are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of products based on fibers,in particular mineral fibers, bonded by a formaldehyde-free binder.

More particularly, the invention relates to thermal and/or acousticinsulating products in which the fibers are in the form of mineral wool,in particular of glass or of rock.

BACKGROUND

The manufacture of insulating products based on mineral wool generallycomprises a stage of manufacture of the wool itself, which can becarried out by various processes, for example according to the knowntechnique of fiberizing by internal or external centrifugation.

Internal centrifugation consists in introducing the molten material(generally glass or a rock) into a centrifugal device comprising amultitude of small orifices, the material being projected toward theperipheral wall of the device under the action of the centrifugal forceand escaping therefrom in the form of filaments. On leaving thecentrifugal device, the filaments are drawn and carried toward areceiving member by a gas stream having a high temperature and a highspeed, in order to form a web of fibers (or mineral wool).

External centrifugation consists, for its part, in pouring out themolten material at the external peripheral surface of rotating members,known as rotors, from where said material is ejected under the action ofthe centrifugal force. Means for drawing by gas stream and forcollecting on a receiving member are also provided.

In order to provide for the assembly of the fibers together and to makeit possible for the web to have cohesion, a sizing compositioncomprising a thermosetting resin is applied to the fibers, on the routebetween the outlet of the centrifugal device and the receiving member.The web of fibers coated with the size is subjected to a heat treatment,at a temperature generally of greater than 100° C., in order to bringabout the polycondensation of the resin and to thus obtain a thermaland/or acoustic insulating product having specific properties, inparticular dimensional stability, tensile strength, thickness recoveryafter compression and homogeneous color.

The sizing composition to be projected onto the mineral wool isgenerally provided in the form of an aqueous solution including thethermosetting resin and additives, such as a catalyst for thecrosslinking of the resin, an adhesion-promoting silane, adust-preventing mineral oil, and the like. The sizing composition isgenerally applied to the fibers by spraying.

The properties of the sizing composition depend largely on thecharacteristics of the resin. From the viewpoint of the application, itis necessary for the sizing composition to exhibit good sprayability andto be able to be deposited at the surface of the fibers in order toefficiently bind them.

The resin has to be stable for a given period of time before being usedto form the sizing composition, which composition is generally preparedat the time of use by mixing the resin and the additives mentionedabove.

At the regulatory level, it is necessary for the resin to be regarded asnon-polluting, that is to say for it to comprise—and for it to generateduring the sizing stage or subsequently—as little as possible in the wayof compounds which may be harmful to human health or to the environment.

The thermosetting resins most commonly used are phenolic resinsbelonging to the family of the resols. In addition to their goodcrosslinkability under the abovementioned thermal conditions, theseresins are soluble in water, have a good affinity for mineral fibers, inparticular glass fibers, and are relatively inexpensive.

These resols are obtained by condensation of phenol and formaldehyde, inthe presence of a basic catalyst, in a formaldehyde/phenol molar ratioof greater than 1, so as to promote the reaction between the phenol andthe formaldehyde and to reduce the level of residual phenol in theresin. The condensation reaction between the phenol and the formaldehydeis carried out while limiting the degree of condensation of themonomers, in order to avoid the formation of long, relativelywater-insoluble, chains which reduce the dilutability. Consequently, theresin comprises a certain proportion of unreacted monomer, in particularformaldehyde, the presence of which is undesirable because of its knownharmful effects.

For this reason, resol-based resins are generally treated with urea,which reacts with the free formaldehyde by trapping it in the form ofnonvolatile urea-formaldehyde condensates. The presence of urea in theresin in addition brings a certain economic advantage as a result of itslow cost because it is possible to introduce it in a relatively largeamount without affecting the operating qualities of the resin, inparticular without harming the mechanical properties of the finalproduct, which significantly lowers the total cost of the resin.

Nevertheless, it has been observed that, under the temperatureconditions to which the web is subjected in order to obtain crosslinkingof the resin, the urea-formaldehyde condensates are not stable; theydecompose with restoration of the formaldehyde and urea, in its turn atleast partially decomposed to give ammonia, which are released into theatmosphere of the factory.

Regulations with regard to environmental protection, which are becomingmore restrictive, are forcing manufacturers of insulating products tolook for solutions which make it possible to further lower the levels ofundesirable emissions, in particular of formaldehyde.

Solutions in which resols are replaced in sizing compositions are known.

A first solution is based on the use of a carboxylic acid polymer, inparticular an acrylic acid polymer.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,868, the size comprises a polycarboxylic polymer,a β-hydroxyamide and an at least trifunctional monomeric carboxylicacid.

Other sizing compositions have been provided which comprise apolycarboxylic polymer, a polyol and a catalyst, this catalyst beingable to be a phosphorus-comprising compound (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,318,990,5,661,213, 6,331,350, US 2003/0008978), a fluoroborate (U.S. Pat. No.5,977,232) or else a cyanamide, a dicyanamide or a cyanoguanidine (U.S.Pat. No. 5,932,689).

The sizing compositions based on a polycarboxylic polymer and on apolyol can additionally comprise a cationic, amphoteric or nonionicsurfactant (US 2002/0188055), a coupling agent of silane type (US2004/0002567) or a dextrin as cobinder (US 2005/0215153).

A description has also been given of sizing compositions comprising analkanolamine including at least two hydroxyl groups and a polycarboxylicpolymer (U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,994, 6,099,773, 6,146,746) in combinationwith a copolymer (U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,936).

A second solution in which resols are replaced is based on thecombination of a saccharide and a polycarboxylic acid.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,804, a description is given of an adhesivecomposition based on heat-crosslinkable polysaccharides which can beused as size for mineral wool. The combination includes a polycarboxylicpolymer having at least two carboxylic acid functional groups and amolecular weight at least equal to 1000, and a polysaccharide having amolecular weight at least equal to 10 000.

In WO 2009/080938, the sizing composition comprises a monosaccharideand/or a polysaccharide and an organic polycarboxylic acid with a molarmass of less than 1000.

A formaldehyde-free aqueous sizing composition which comprises aMaillard reaction product, in particular combining a reducing sugar, acarboxylic acid and ammonia (WO 2007/014236), is also known. In WO2009/019232 and WO 2009/019235, the proposal is made to substitute, forthe carboxylic acid, an acid precursor derived from an inorganic salt,in particular an ammonium salt, which exhibits the additional advantageof being able to replace all or part of the ammonia.

SUMMARY

There exists a need for formaldehyde-free sizing compositions which makeit possible to manufacture products based on fibers, in particularmineral fibers, exhibiting good resistance to aging, in particular in ahumid environment.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a sizing composition forfibers, in particular mineral fibers, more particularly of glass or ofrock, which overcomes the abovementioned disadvantages.

A subject matter of the invention is thus a sizing composition capableof crosslinking to form a binder, which includes at least onenon-reducing sugar and at least one inorganic acid ammonium salt, to theprocess for the manufacture of thermal and/or acoustic insulatingproducts and to the products which result therefrom.

The sizing composition in accordance with the invention comprises:

-   -   at least one non-reducing sugar, and    -   at least one inorganic acid ammonium salt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a curve of variation in the modulus of elasticity E′ (inMPa) as a function of the temperature (in ° C.).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The expression “non-reducing sugar” should be understood in theconventional sense, namely that it relates to a sugar composed ofseveral saccharide units, the carbon 1 of which carrying the hemiacetalOH group is the participant in a bond.

The non-reducing sugar in accordance with the present invention is anon-reducing oligosaccharide including at most 10 saccharide units.

Mention may be made, as examples of such non-reducing sugars, ofdisaccharides, such as trehalose, isotrehaloses, sucrose andisosucroses, trisaccharides, such as melezitose, gentianose, raffinose,erlose and umbelliferose, tetrasaccharides, such as stachyose, andpentasaccharides, such as verbascose.

Preference is given to sucrose and trehalose and better still tosucrose.

The inorganic acid ammonium salt reacts with the non-reducing sugarunder the effect of the heat to form a polymeric network constitutingthe final binder. The polymeric network thus formed makes it possible toestablish bonds between the mineral fibers, in particular at thejunction points of the fibers in mineral wool, which confers, on thefinal product, a certain “elasticity” capable of providing goodthickness recovery after the product has been unpacked.

The inorganic acid ammonium salt is chosen from ammonium sulfates, inparticular ammonium hydrogensulfate NH₄HSO₄ and ammonium sulfate(NH₄)₂SO₄, ammonium phosphates, in particular monoammonium phosphateNH₄H₂PO₄, diammonium phosphate (NH₄)₂HPO₄ and ammonium phosphate(NH₄)₃PO₄, ammonium nitrates and ammonium carbonates, in particularammonium bicarbonate NH₄HCO₃ and ammonium carbonate (NH₄)₂CO₃.

The inorganic acid ammonium salt is preferably chosen from sulfates andphosphates, advantageously sulfates.

In the sizing composition, the inorganic acid ammonium salt representsfrom 1 to 30% by weight of the total weight of the mixture composed ofthe non-reducing sugar and the inorganic acid ammonium salt, preferablyfrom 3 to 20% and advantageously from 5 to 15%.

The sizing composition does not comprise any organic polycarboxylic acidwith a molar mass of less than 1000, and is generally totally devoid oforganic polycarboxylic acid.

The sizing composition can comprise, in addition to the compoundsmentioned, the conventional additives below in the followingproportions, calculated on the basis of 100 parts by weight ofnon-reducing sugar and of inorganic acid ammonium salt:

-   -   from 0 to 2 parts of silane, in particular an aminosilane,    -   from 0 to 20 parts of oil, preferably from 4 to 15 parts,    -   from 0 to 20 parts of glycerol, preferably from 0 to 10 parts,    -   from 0 to 5 parts of a silicone,    -   from 0 to 30 parts of an “extender”.

The role of the additives is known and is briefly restated: the silaneis an agent for coupling between the fibers and the binder, and alsoacts as antiaging agent; the oils are dust-preventing and hydrophobicagents; the glycerol acts as plasticizer and makes it possible toprevent pregelling of the sizing composition; the silicone is ahydrophobic agent having the role of reducing the absorption of water bythe insulating product; the “extender” is an organic or inorganicfiller, soluble or dispersible in the sizing composition, which makes itpossible in particular to reduce the cost of the sizing composition.

The sizing composition exhibits a pH which varies according to thenature of the inorganic acid ammonium salt used, generally from 6 to 9,advantageously from 7 to 8.

The sizing composition according to the invention is intended to beapplied to fibers which can be mineral or organic, or else to a mixtureof mineral and organic fibers.

As already indicated, the mineral fibers can be glass fibers, inparticular of E, C, R or AR (alkali-resistant) glass, or rock fibers, inparticular basalt (or wollastonite). These fibers can also be fibersincluding more than 96% by weight of silica and ceramic fibers based onat least one oxide, nitride or carbide of metal or semimetal, or on amixture of these compounds, in particular on at least one oxide, nitrideor carbide of aluminum, zirconium, titanium, boron or yttrium.

The organic fibers can be synthetic fibers or natural fibers.

Mention may be made, as examples of synthetic fibers, of fibers based onan olefin, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, on a polyalkyleneterephthalate, such as polyethylene terephthalate, or on a polyester.

Mention may be made, as examples of natural fibers, of plant fibers, inparticular fibers of wood, cellulose, cotton, coconut, sisal, hemp orflax, and animal fibers, in particular wool.

As already mentioned, the sizing composition is more particularly usedas sizing composition for thermal and/or acoustic insulating productsbased on mineral wool.

Conventionally, the sizing composition is applied to the mineral fibersat the outlet of the fiber-forming device and before they are collectedon the receiving member in the form of a web of fibers which issubsequently treated at a temperature which makes possible thecrosslinking of the size and the formation of an infusible binder. Thecrosslinking of the size according to the invention takes place at atemperature of the order of from 100 to 200° C., generally at atemperature comparable to that of a conventional formaldehyde-phenolresin, in particular of greater than or equal to 110° C., preferably ofless than or equal to 170° C.

The products based on fibers sized using the composition, in particularthe acoustic and/or thermal insulating products obtained from thesesized fibers, also constitute a subject matter of the present invention.

These products are generally provided in the form of a mat, a felt,panels, blocks, shells or other molded shapes based on mineral wool, ofglass or of rock.

The sizing composition can also be used to manufacture coated orimpregnated fabrics and veils (also known as “nonwovens”), in particularbased on mineral fibers, such as glass or rock fibers.

Veils of mineral fibers are used in particular as surface coating forthermal and/or acoustic insulating products based on mineral wool or ona foam.

Another subject matter of the invention is a process for the manufactureof a thermal and/or acoustic insulating product based on mineral wool orof a veil of mineral fibers, according to which the mineral wool or themineral fibers is/are manufactured, a composition according to theinvention is applied to said wool or said fibers and said wool or saidfibers is/are treated at a temperature which makes possible thecrosslinking of the size and the formation of an infusible binder, forexample under the thermal conditions described above.

The size can be applied by any appropriate means, for example byprojection, spraying, atomization, coating or impregnation.

The following examples make it possible to illustrate the inventionwithout, however, limiting it.

In these examples, the following are measured:

-   -   the crosslinking start temperature (T_(C)) and the crosslinking        rate (R) by the Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) method, which        makes it possible to characterize the viscoelastic behavior of a        polymeric material. The procedure is as follows: a sample of        Whatman paper is impregnated with the sizing composition        (content of organic solids of the order of 40%) and is then        fixed horizontally between two jaws. An oscillating component        equipped with a device for measuring the stress as a function of        the strain applied is positioned on the upper face of the        sample. The device makes it possible to calculate the modulus of        elasticity E′. The sample is heated to a temperature varying        from 20 to 250° C. at the rate of 4° C./min. The curve of        variation in the modulus of elasticity E′ (in MPa) as a function        of the temperature (in ° C.) is plotted from the measurements,        the general appearance of the curve being given in FIG. 1. The        temperature value, in ° C., for the start of crosslinking        (T_(C)) and the slope corresponding to the crosslinking rate, in        MPa/° C., are determined on the curve.    -   the viscosity, expressed in mPa·s, using a rheometer of        plate/plate rotational type with shearing of 100 s⁻¹ at 25° C.        The sample has a solids content of 30% by weight.    -   the contact angle of the sizing composition, comprising 30% by        weight of solids, on a glass substrate.    -   the breaking stress of a veil sample of 5 cm×21 cm attached at        one end to a tensile testing device and subjected to a        continuous elongation of 40 mm/minute. The breaking stress is        expressed in N/5 cm.

The breaking stress is measured after manufacturing (initial) and afterthe sample has been treated under accelerated aging conditions in waterat 80° C. for 10 minutes. The result is expressed by the percentage ofretention, which is equal to:(breaking stress after treatment/initial breaking stress)×100.

-   -   the tensile strength according to the standard ASTM C 686-71T on        a sample cut out by stamping from the insulating product. The        sample has the shape of a torus with a length of 122 mm, a width        of 46 mm, a radius of curvature of the cut-out of the outer edge        equal to 38 mm and a radius of curvature of the cut-out of the        inner edge equal to 12.5 mm.

The sample is positioned between two cylindrical mandrels of a testmachine, one of which is movable and is moved at a constant rate. Thebreaking force F (in newtons) of the sample is measured and the tensilestrength TS, defined by the ratio of the breaking force F to the weightof the sample, is calculated.

The tensile strength is measured after manufacture (initial tensilestrength) and after accelerated aging in an autoclave at a temperatureof 105° C. under 100% relative humidity for 15 minutes (TS 15).

-   -   the initial thickness of the insulating product and the        thickness after compressing for 1 hour and 24 hours with a        degree of compression (defined as being the ratio of the nominal        thickness to the thickness under compression) equal to 4.8/1.        The thickness measurements make it possible to evaluate the good        dimensional behavior of the product.    -   the thermal conductivity coefficient λ according to the standard        EN 13162, expressed in W/(m×° K).

EXAMPLES 1 TO 20

a) A first series of sizing compositions is prepared, which compositionscomprise the constituents appearing in table 1, expressed as parts byweight.

The sizing compositions are prepared by successively introducing, into avessel containing water, the non-reducing or reducing sugar and theinorganic acid ammonium salt with stirring until the constituents havecompletely dissolved.

The sizing compositions of examples 1 and 4 exhibit a greatercrosslinking rate than comparative examples 7 and 8 respectively.

Examples 1 to 6 exhibit low viscosity and contact angle values,comparable to comparative examples 7 and 8, which makes possible goodapplication to mineral fibers, in particular by spraying.

b) A second series of sizing compositions is prepared, whichcompositions comprise the constituents appearing in table 2, expressedas parts by weight.

The sizing compositions are prepared under the conditions set out forthe first series.

Test 1

A veil of glass fibers (Whatman GF/A, 50 g/m²; sold by Whatman) isimmersed in the sizing composition (13% of solid matter) for 2 minutesand then the excess size is removed by suction. The veil is subsequentlytreated in an oven at 200° C. for 135 seconds. In the end, the veilcomprises 45% by weight of crosslinked binder. The values of the tensilestrength and of the percentage of retention are given in table 2.

Test 2

A veil of glass fibers (Whatman GF/A, 50 g/m²; sold by Whatman) isimmersed in the sizing composition (13% of solid matter) for 2 minutesand then the excess size is removed by suction. The veil is subsequentlytreated in an oven at 200° C. for 5 minutes. In the end, the veilcomprises 45% by weight of crosslinked binder.

The veil is immersed in water at 60° C. for 3 hours and is then dried inan oven at 60° C. for 1 hour. The portion of water-insoluble crosslinkedbinder remaining on the veil (as %) is measured by weighing before andafter immersion in the water. The results appear in table 2.

Examples 3, 2 and 9, on the one hand, and 6 and 5, on the other hand,have a higher initial tensile strength than the correspondingcomparative examples 11 to 14, and 17 and 18.

Examples 3, 2, 9 and 10, comprising ammonium sulfate, have a higherpercentage of retention than comparative examples 11 to 14. Examples 15and 16, comprising a higher proportion of diammonium sulfate, have agreater wet aging strength than comparative examples 19 and 20.

The proportion of binder remaining on the filter after treatment in thewater is greater in the examples according to the invention (3, 2, 9 and10, and 6, 5, 15 and 16) than in the respective comparative examples (11to 14 and 17 to 20).

Tests 1 and 2 demonstrate that the sizing composition according to theinvention has the capability of efficiently binding the fibers of a veilunder conditions of accelerated aging in a humid environment. Theapplication of the sizing composition is not limited to veils and can beextended to the other fibrous products mentioned above, in particular tofabrics and to products where the fibers are provided in the form ofmineral wool for applications as thermal and/or acoustic insulatingproducts.

EXAMPLES 21 AND 22

These examples illustrate the manufacture of insulating products on anindustrial scale line.

Use is made of the sizing compositions of examples 1 and 7(comparative), to which the following additives are added, per 100 partsby weight of sugar and ammonium sulfate: 1 part ofγ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and 8 parts of a mineral oil. These sizingcompositions constitute examples 21 and 22 (comparative) respectively.

Glass wool is manufactured on a pilot scale line by the internalcentrifugation technique in which the molten glass composition isconverted into fibers by means of a tool, referred to as centrifugingdisk, comprising a basket forming a chamber for receiving the moltencomposition and a peripheral band pierced by a multitude of orifices:the disk is rotated about its vertically positioned axis of symmetry,the composition is ejected through the orifices under the effect of thecentrifugal force and the material escaping from the orifices is drawninto fibers with the assistance of a drawing gas stream.

Conventionally, a size spraying ring is positioned beneath thefiberizing disk so as to uniformly distribute the sizing compositionover the glass wool which has just been formed.

The mineral wool, thus sized, is collected on a belt conveyor with awidth of 2.4 m equipped with internal extraction boxes which hold themineral wool in the form of a web at the surface of the conveyor. Theweb passes continuously through an oven maintained at 270° C., where theconstituents of the size polymerize to form a binder. The finalinsulating product has a nominal density of 17.5 kg/m³.

The insulating products exhibit the following properties:

Ex. 21 Ex. 22 (comp.) Tensile strength (N) initial 4.5 4.2 after aging(TS 15) 4.3 3.8 loss (%) 4 10 Thickness (mm) after 1 hour 106 102 after24 hours 104 100 Loss on ignition (%) 6.0 6.0 λ (W/(m × K)) 0.035 0.035

The insulating product according to example 21 exhibits a higher initialtensile strength than that of comparative example 22. The tensilestrength after aging of example 21 is also greater, the loss in tensilestrength being 4% instead of 10% for comparative example 22.

In addition, the insulating product according to example 21 has aninitial thickness which is slightly enhanced with respect to comparativeexample 22.

TABLE 1 Example 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 (Comp.) (Comp.) Sizing compositionSucrose 85 90 95 85 90 95 — — Glucose — — — — — — 85 85 Ammonium sulfate15 10 5 — — — 15 — Diammonium phosphate — — — 15 10 5 — 15 PropertiesCrosslinking start temp. T_(C) (° C.) 137 141 146 144 149 158 140 132Rate (R) (MPa/° C.) 86.7 64.2 58.8 49.3 51.7 30.6 54.5 26.7 Viscosity(mPa · s) 5.4 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.4 5.4 Contact angle (°) 17 18 20 1718 17 19 18 pH⁽¹⁾ 7.2 7.2 7.3 8.0 7.9 7.8 7.5 7.1 ⁽¹⁾solids content: 30%

TABLE 2 Example 11 12 13 14 3 2 9 10 (Comp.) (Comp.) (Comp.) (Comp.)Binder composition Sucrose 95 90 83 77 — — — — Glucose — — — — 95 90 8377 Ammonium sulfate 5 10 17 23 5 10 17 23 Diammonium phosphate — — — — —— — — Properties Tensile strength (N/cm) initial 104 120 130 109 100 96111 115 % retention 22 46 65 66 9 30 52 61 Insoluble portion (%) 81.585.9 83.9 81.9 76.2 75.3 76.0 79.9 Example 17 18 19 20 6 5 15 16 (Comp.)(Comp.) (Comp.) (Comp.) Binder composition Sucrose 95 90 83 77 — — — —Glucose — — — — 95 90 83 77 Ammonium sulfate — — — — — — — — Diammoniumphosphate 5 10 17 23 5 10 17 23 Properties Tensile strength (N/cm)initial 83 120 99 120 65 99 118 131 % retention 11 53 86 68 10 53 58 53Insoluble portion (%) 87.6 97.9 95.3 93.7 86.7 91.6 91.9 85.6

What is claimed is:
 1. An aqueous formaldehyde-free sizing composition comprising: sucrose; and ammonium sulfate; wherein the ammonium sulfate is present in a range from 3% to 20% by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate; and further comprising one or more additives in an amount from 0 to 2 parts of silane, 4 to 15 parts of mineral oil, 0 to 20 parts of glycerol, 0 to 5 parts of a silicone, and 0 to 30 parts of an extender, wherein the amount of each of the one or more additives is calculated on the basis of 100 parts by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate.
 2. The composition of claimed 1, wherein the ammononium sulfate is present in a range from 5 to 15% by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate.
 3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the one or more additives comprise from 0 to 10 parts of glycerol.
 4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the sizing composition is devoid of organic polycarboxylic acid.
 5. A product based on mineral fibers and/or organic fibers, the mineral fibers and/or organic fibers being sized using an aqueous formaldehyde-free sizing composition comprising: sucrose; and ammonium sulfate; wherein the ammonium sulfate is present in a range from 3% to 20% by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate.
 6. The product of claim 5, wherein the product is a veil that includes mineral fibers.
 7. The product of claim 5, wherein the product is an acoustic and/or thermal insulating product.
 8. The product of claim 5, wherein the mineral fibers comprise glass wool or rock wool.
 9. The product of claim 8, wherein the glass wool is made of E, C, R or AR (alkali-resistant) glass, and the rock wool is made from basalt, or the mineral fibers comprise more than 96% by weight of silica, or the mineral fibers are ceramic fibers based on at least one oxide, nitride, or carbide of a metal or a semimetal.
 10. The product of claim 5, wherein the organic fibers are synthetic or natural fibers.
 11. The product of claim 10, wherein the synthetic fibers are based on polyethylene or polypropylene.
 12. The product of claim 5, wherein the sizing composition further comprises one or more additives in an amount from 0 to 2 parts of silane, 4 to 15 parts of mineral oil, 0 to 20 parts of glycerol, 0 to 5 parts of a silicone, and 0 to 30 parts of an extender, wherein the amount of each of the one or more additives is calculated on the basis of 100 parts by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate.
 13. The product of claim 12, wherein the one or more additives comprise from 0 to 10 parts of glycerol.
 14. The product of claim 5, wherein the ammonium sulfate is present in a range from 5 to 15% by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate.
 15. The product of claim 5, wherein the sizing composition is devoid of organic polycarboxylic acid.
 16. A process for the manufacture of a product, according to which mineral fibers and/or organic fibers is manufactured, the process comprising applying a sizing composition to said mineral fibers and/or organic fibers; and treating said mineral fibers and/or organic fibers at a temperature which makes possible the crosslinking of the size and the formation of an infusible binder, wherein the sizing composition comprises an aqueous formaldehyde-free sizing comprising: sucrose; and ammonium sulfate; wherein the ammonium sulfate is present in a range from 3% to 20% by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate.
 17. The process of claim 16, wherein the sizing composition further comprises one or more additives in an amount from 0 to 2 parts of silane, 4 to 15 parts of mineral oil, 0 to 20 parts of glycerol, 0 to 5 parts of a silicone, and 0 to 30 parts of an extender, wherein the amount of each of the one or more additives is calculated on the basis of 100 parts by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate.
 18. The process of claim 17, wherein the one or more additives comprise from 0 to 10 parts of glycerol.
 19. The process of claim 16, wherein the mineral fibers comprise glass wool or rock wool.
 20. The process of claim 19, wherein the glass wool is made of E, C, R or AR (alkali-resistant) glass, and the rock wool is made of basalt fibers including more than 96% by weight of silica.
 21. The process of claim 16, wherein the ammonium sulfate is present in a range from 5 to 15% by weight of sucrose and ammonium sulfate.
 22. The process of claim 16, wherein the sizing composition is devoid of organic polycarboxylic acid.
 23. The process of claim 16, wherein the product is an acoustic and/or thermal insulating product.
 24. The process of claim 6, wherein the product is a veil that includes mineral fibers. 